Bopea

A bopea (bohemian peasantry) is a member of a British upper class socio-economic group who adopt aspects of a rural life.^[1] The group blend bohemian values of creativity and non-conformism with a more traditional "neo-peasant" worldview that values nature, community, and craft.^[2]

History

British society magazine Tatler wrote in 2023 that the term characterised the rapid re-emergence of various traditional practices and hobbies following the COVID-19 lockdowns.^[3] Louis Elton contrasts them against earlier, similar social groups of bobos and yuppies, saying that bopeas wish to "flourish holistically"'.^[4]

Writing in The Sunday Times, Phoebe Luckhurst describes bopeas having a variety of hobbies:

Their place is in the greenhouse, the workshop, the kitchen garden or the apiary; their hobbies are – in no particular order – rewilding, keeping chickens, farm-to-table cooking, knitting, fermenting and cold water swimming.^[5]

Charles, then Prince of Wales, on a royal visit to Hackney City Farm in 2009

Tatler identified King Charles III as key inspiration for the group. The magazine also named James Middleton, Merlin Sheldrake, and Ben Goldsmith as examples of the lifestyle. Politico highlighted Carrie Johnson — the wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson — as "the nation's Bopea tradwife".^[6]

See also

• Cottagecore
• Hippie